Contributor – Jacqueline Fawcett
January 19, 2024

Author – Martha Raile Alligood

Year First published – 2002

Major Concepts

Perception of time
Sleep patterns
Activity

Typology

Middle-range theory

Brief Description

The theory of aging was derived from Rogers’ theory of accelerating change (also referred to as the theory of accelerating evolution). The theory posits there are relations among perception of time, sleep patterns, and activity, with activity intervening between perception of time and sleep patterns. They designed a study to test the theory with a sample of senior citizens.

• Sleep patterns – “Sleep pattern changes are reflections of diversity in length of sleep and sleep-wake frequencies, as measured by the Sleep Questionnaire” (Alligood & McGuire, 2000, p.8).
• Time perception is changes in how time is experienced as measured by the Time Opinion Survey” (Alligood & McGuire, 2000, p.8).
• “Activity is defined as the type and amount of participation in activity at the Senior Center, as measured by the Activity Assessment Form” (Alligood & McGuire, 2000, p.8).

Primary Source(s)

Alligood, M. R., & McGuire, S. L. (2000). Perception of time, sleep patterns, and activity in senior citizens: A test of a Rogerian theory of aging. Visions: The Journal of Rogerian Science, 8(1): 6-14. /https://static1.squarespace.com/static/60442c60133ffa41758d58f3/t/60abd96ebd4f945bd80e78a8/1621875057784/Visions-Volume08.pdf

About the Author

Dr. Alligood has retired from her position as Professor, College of Nursing, East Carolina University, Greenville, NC. She is co-editor and then editor of several editions of Nursing Theorists and Their Work, and the founding editor, then co-editor, and then sole editor of Nursing Theory: Utilization and Application. Dr. Alligood also is the interviewer for Volumes 2 and 3 of the The Nurse Theorist: Portraits of Excellence series of DVDs produced by the Fuld Institute of Technology for Nursing Education (FITNE).